Jules Bianchi
Jules Lucien André Bianchi 3rd August 1989 – 17th July 2015) was a French motor racing driver who drove for the Marussia F1 Team in the FIA Formula One World Championships. Bianchi had previously raced in Formula Renault 3.5, GP2 and Formula Three and was a Ferrari Driver Academy member. He entered Formula One as a practice driver in 2012 for Sahara Force India. In 2013, he made his debut driving for Marussia, finishing 15th in his opening race in Australia and ended the season in 19th position without having scored any points. His best result that year was 13th at the Malaysian Grand Prix. In October 2013, the team confirmed that he would drive for the team the following season. In the 2014 season, he scored both his and the Marussia team's first points in Formula One at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Jules Bianchi's race ended on lap Eight © Getty Images
Kevin Magnussen and Jules Bianchi received two penalty points each on their F1 superlicences at the Malaysian Grand Prix 2014 after causing collisions in the race.
Under new rules this year, any driver who earns 12 penalty points over the course of the season will receive a one-race ban at the next event.
Magnussen hit Kimi Raikkonen at the start, breaking his McLaren's front wing and puncturing the Ferrari's right rear tyre, but went on to finish ninth. He was given a five-second stop-go penalty at his second pit stop as well as the two penalty points.
"I'm sorry for the team that I messed it up in the first corner," Magnussen said. "I think we could have had some good points today, so I'm really disappointed with myself that I made that mistake today. Formula One races are long and I shouldn't have made a mistake like that in the first corner. I'm really disappointed with myself."
Bianchi tangled with Pastor Maldonado at Turn 4 on the first lap, but said he was carrying damage from an incident with Jean-Eric Vergne at Turn 1.
"Unfortunately the situation with Maldonado was a consequence of what happened off the start, when Vergne hit me from behind and punctured my left rear tyre," Bianchi said. "Quite simply I could not avoid Maldonado; there was nothing I could do. We came in to change the tyres and to fit a new front wing but when I returned to the track the car was not easy to drive and we suspected a problem with the brakes.
"We could not continue to drive this way and had no choice but to retire. It was disappointing to end my race after 8 laps and this is not the reward the Team deserves after a week where we seemed to make good progress through the sessions."
Valtteri Bottas received two penalty points on Saturday in Malaysia after holding up Daniel Ricciardo in qualifying.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
On 5th October 2014, during the Japanese Grand Prix, Bianchi lost control of his Marussia in very wet conditions and collided with a recovery vehicle, suffering a diffuse axonal injury. He underwent emergency surgery and was placed into an induced coma, and remained comatose until his death on 17th July 2015. Bianchi was the first Formula One driver to die as a result of a F1 racing accident since Ayrton Senna's death at the May 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Jules Bianchi at the Japanese Grand Prix 2014 before his 42nd and fatal lap accident.
Jules Bianchi was born in Nice, France, to to Philippe and Christine Bianchi. He had two siblings, brother Tom and sister Mélanie, had been the godfather of current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, and had been in a long-term relationship with his French girlfriend, Camille Marchetti. In later times, media reports also referred to a German girlfriend, Gina, who had moved to Nice. Bianchi was the grandson of Mauro Bianchi, who competed in GT Racing during the 1960s and three non-championship Formula One Grands Prix in 1961. He was also the grandnephew of Lucien, who competed in 19 Formula One Grand Prix competions between 1959 and 1968 and won the 1968 24 Hour of Le Mans, before dying during Le Mans testing the following year. His favourite racing driver was Michael Schumacher. Bianchi's exposure to motorsport started at around 3 years of age through Karting and was facilitated by the fact that his father owned a kart track. Since age 17, Bianchi was professionally managed by Nicolas Todt.
Lucian Bianchi and Pedro Rodriguez win the 1968 24 Hour le Mans Race with there Ford Chassis GT40 - The race car had a Ford 4.9L V8 Engine - Team - JW Automotive Engineering -
Lucian Bianchi
Lucien Bianchi (10 November 1934 – 30 March 1969), born Luciano Bianchi, was an Italian born Belgian racing driver who raced for the Cooper, ENB, UDT Laystall and Scuderia Centro Sud teams in Formula One. He entered a total of 19 Formula One World Championship races, scoring six points and had a best finish of third at the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix. He died in a testing crash in preparation for the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans when his Alfa Romeo T33 spun into a telegraph pole.
24 Hours of Le Mans 1968 - if the race had taken place in June, the result would probably have been very different. Lucien Bianchi and Pedro Rodriguez took over the wheel of the Ford GT40 from Brian Redman and Jacky Ickx, both injured in Formula One races. A certain Henri Pescarolo made his mark on the race that year. In the dead of the night, in driving rain, the Matra’s windscreen wipers broke, yet he continued valiantly, becoming an instant favourite with the crowd. Meanwhile, Porsche edged a step closer to an overall win. Jo Siffert secured the constructor’s first pole position and the Porsches came in second (Spoerry and Steinemann) and third (Neerspasch and Stommelen). Thanks to Bianchi and Rodriguez’s win at Le Mans, then the last round of the world championship, Ford took the constructors title for the third time in 1968.
Elsewhere - Discord in France culminated in May, but 1968 was equally tumultuous all over the world. In January, the Tet offensive marked a milestone in the Vietnam war, while the Soviet Red Army invaded Czechoslovakia in August, halting the reforms conducted by Alexander Dubcek. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April, followed by Robert Kennedy in June, then, in November, Richard Nixon was elected president of the United States at the third attempt. The revolutionary spirit of 1968 was also evident in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Meanwhile, Steve McQueen starred in The Thomas Crown Affair and Bullitt. Having acquired a taste for production with Bullit, he already had the film Le Mans in mind and travelled to France the following year on a reconnaissance mission.
Music - The worldwide unrest brought with it an unprecedented proliferation of musical talent. At the beginning of the year, Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay was released following his untimely death in December 1967. Two famous double albums - Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix and The White Album from The Beatles - saw the day, as did a whole host of LPs that marked the era: Aretha Franklin’s live album recorded in Paris, Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs Robinson, Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild, Pink Floyd's A Saucerful of Secrets and Joan Baez’s album Any Day Now, a collection of Bob Dylan’s songs. As the year drew to a close, the Rolling Stones released Beggar’s Banquet with the opening track Sympathy for the Devil.1968 was also the year that Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham got together to form Led Zeppelin, signalling the birth of hard rock.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translated from French by Emma Paulay
In 2007, Bianchi left karting and raced in French Formula Renault 2.0 for SG Formula, where he finished as champion with five wins. He also competed in the Formula Renault Eurocup where he had one pole position and one fastest lap in three races. In late 2007, Bianchi signed with ART Grand Prix to compete in the Formula 3 Euro Series. In 2008 Bianchi won the Masters of Formula 3 at Zolder, and also finished third in the 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series season. Bianchi continued in the F3 Euroseries in 2009, leading ART's line-up along with rookie team-mates Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Gutierrez and Adrien Tambay. With eight wins, Bianchi sealed the title with a round to spare, at Dijon-Prenois. He then added a ninth win at the final round at Hockenhelm. He also drove the Formula Renault 3.5 Series at Monaco, after SG Formula acquired the cars formerly run by Kurt Mollekens.
Zolder, Belgium. 8th - 10th August 2008
Podium (l-r) Nico Hulkenberg (D) - ART Grand Prix Dallara Mercedes, Jules Bianchi (F) - ART Grand Prix Dallara Mercedes, Jon Lancaster (GBR) - ART Grand Prix Dallara Mercedes.
World Copyright: Ebrey/LAT Photographic
Bianchi drove for ART in the subsequent GP2 Asia season and the 2010 GP2 season. He competed in three of the four rounds of the GP2 Asia championship. In the main series, Bianchi took two pole positions and a number of points positions before he was injured in a first-lap crash at the Hungaroring. In the feature race, he spun into the path of the field exiting the first corner, and was struck head-on by Ho-Pin Tung, sustaining a fractured second lumbar veryebra in the process. Bianchi was fourth in the drivers' championship at the time of his injury. Despite initial pessimistic assessments of the severity of his injury, he recovered to take part in the next round of the championship. Bianchi remained with ART for 2011, and was partnered by 2010 GP3 Series champion Esteban Gutierrez. He starred in the first two rounds of the 2011 GP2 Asia Series, holding off Romain Grosjean for victory in the feature race and gaining fourth in the sprint race, but he was later penalised. He finished runner-up to Grosjean in the drivers' championship. In the main series Bianchi finished third in the championship, behind Grosjean and Luca Fillppi.
Top three for start grid in opening round of GP2 Asia at Yas Marina - Romain Grosjean middle, with Jules Bianchi and Davide Valsecchi right
Ho-Pin Tung is a Hero to Racing Fans
Mouser sponsored driver, Ho-Pin Tung, is a Chinese-Dutch auto-racing driver who currently races with a Chinese license.
Tung was born in Velp, Gelderland, Netherlands, and in 1997 at the age of 14 started kart racing in the Netherlands. He quickly moved up through the open-wheel ranks, doing most of his racing in Europe. In addition to winning the Asian Formula BMW championship in 2003, Tung won the German Formula 3 championship in 2006. In 2011, he made history as being the first Chinese driver to qualify and compete in an IndyCar event, where his partnership with Mouser all began.
After IndyCar, Mouser’s partnership continued. Tung raced in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, and even geared up to race in the 2012 Formula 1 Grand Prix support race in the Shanghai International Circuit China. For a brief period, Tung also raced FIA Formula E for Team China Racing. Currently, Tung competes in Le Mans 24 Hours races and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
In a nation with over 1.3 billion people and only a handful of them auto racers, Ho-Pin Tung is China’s top driver.
85th 24 hours of Le Mans 2017 #38 - JACKIE CHAN DC RACING (CHN) Category: LM P2 Car: ORECA 07 - GIBSON Tyres: DUNLOP Drivers: Ho-Pin TUNG (NLD) Thomas LAURENT (FRA) Oliver JARVIS (GBR)
Ho-Pin Tung 董荷斌 born December 4, 1982) is a Chinese-Dutch auto-racing driver who races with a Chinese license. In 2016, Tung joined Baxi DC Racing to partner team owner David Cheng and French driver Nelson Panciatici (replaced mid-year by Paul-Loup Chatin) in the team's Alpine A460 entry for the LMP2 class of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship. The team took a string of minor points placings during the year, and Tung finished the season in 13th position in the drivers' championship standings. Tung remained with DC, now renamed Jackie Chan DC Racing, for the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. At the 2017 24 Hour of Le Mans, Tung became the first driver in the event's history to lead the race in an LMP2 car, after all the top class LMP1 entries either retired or faded away in the race. Ultimately, his Oreca 07 car finished second overall, and first in the LMP2 class, after it was overtaken by the number 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid car. The Jackie Chan DC crew were also the first Chinese-entered car to win a class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During the remainder of the season, Tung and his co-drivers Olivier Jarvis and Thomas Laurent took further class wins at Silverstone and the Nurburgring, and two other podium finishes, and finished the season in second place in the LMP2 championship. Tung remained with Jackie Chan DC Racing for a third season in 2018, to contest the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship 'superseason'.
Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix - He finally finished in 9th position.
Jules Bianchi's ninth place in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix is like a grand prix victory for his Marussia team.
In October 2013, Marussia confirmed that Bianchi would stay at the team for the following season. After starting off the season with struggles in Australia, in which he was not classified, Bianchi overcame the odds to score his – and his team's – first World Championship points by finishing ninth at the Monaco Grand Prix. The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 5th October, under intermittent heavy rainfall caused by the approaching Typhoon Phanfone and in fading daylight. On lap 43 of the race, Bianchi lost control of his car and veered right towards the run-off area on the outside of the Dunlop Curve (turn seven) of the Suzuka Circuit. He collided with the rear of a tractor crane tending to the removal of Adrian Sutil's Sauber after Sutil had spun out of control and crashed in the same area a lap before. Spectators' video footage and photographs of the accident revealed that the left side of Bianchi's Marussia car was extensively damaged and the roll bar destroyed as it slid under the tractor crane. The impact was such that the tractor crane was partially jolted off the ground causing Sutil's Sauber, which was suspended in the air by the crane, to fall back to the ground. The race was stopped and Lewis Hamilton was declared the winner.
HD. Jules Bianci fatal crash 2014 Suzuka. New leaked material.
Jules Bianchi accident at the Japanese Grand Prix 2014.
Jules Bianchi of France and Marussia receives urgent medical treatment after crashing during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit on October 5, 2014 in Suzuka, Japan.
Bianchi was reported as being unconscious after not responding to either a team radio call or marshals. He was treated at the crash site before being taken by ambulance to the circuit's medical centre. Since transport by helicopter was not possible due to poor weather conditions, Bianchi was further transported by ambulance, for 32 minutes under police escort. The destination was the nearest hospital, Mie Prefectural General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, which was some 15 km (9.3 mi) away from the Suzuka circuit. Initial reports by his father, Philippe, to television channel France 3, were that Bianchi was in critical condition with a head injury and was undergoing an operation to reduce severe bruising to his head. The FIA subsequently said that CT scans showed Bianchi suffered a "severe head injury" in the crash, and that he would be admitted to intensive care following surgery.
Subsequent calculations in July 2015 indicated a peak of 254 g (2.490 m/s2) and data from the FIA's World Accident Database (WADB)—which sources information from racing accidents worldwide—also indicate Bianchi's impact occurred 2.61 seconds after the loss of control, at a speed of 123 km/h (76 mph) and at an angle of 55 degrees. According to Andy Mellor, Vice President of the FIA Safety Commission, this is the equivalent of dropping a "car 48 metres (157 ft) to the ground without a crumple zone". The first family update following Bianchi's emergency surgery was made by his father in the week beginning 13th October 2014. Bianchi was reported to be in a "desperate" condition, with doctors describing his survival as a miracle. Even so, the father openly stated that he drew hope from Michael Schumacher waking from his coma. Marussia also issued regular updates on Bianchi's condition while rejecting initial speculation about their role in the accident. Bianchi died on 17th July 2015, aged 25, from injuries sustained at the time of his accident in Suzuka nine months prior.
1975 Monaco Grand Prix
Graham Hill (Hill GH1-Cosworth) in his last competitive outing in a racing car. He tried and failed to qualify for the race.
The Monaco Grand Prix differs in several ways from other Grands Prix. The practice session for the race is held on the Thursday preceding the race instead of Friday. This allows the streets to be opened to the public again on Friday. Until the late 1990s the race started at 3:30 p.m. local time – an hour and a half later than other European Formula One races. In recent years the race has fallen in line with the other Formula One races for the convenience of television viewers. Also, earlier the event was traditionally held on the week of Ascension Day. It is now always held on the last weekend in May. For many years, the numbers of cars admitted to Grands Prix was at the discretion of the race organisers – Monaco had the smallest grids, ostensibly because of its narrow and twisting track. Only 18 cars were permitted to enter the 1975 Monaco Grand Prix, compared to 23 to 26 cars at all other rounds that year. At Circuit Zolder, the fourth turn of the circuit, entering the back stretch, is named LucienBianchiBocht in his memory.
The erecting of the circuit takes six weeks, and the removal after the race takes three weeks. There was no podium as such at the race, until 2017. Instead, a section of the track was closed after the race to act as parc ferme, a place where the cars are held for official inspection. The first three drivers in the race left their cars there and walked directly to the royal box where the 'podium' ceremony was held, which was considered a custom for the race. The trophies were handed out before the national anthems for the winning driver and team are played, as opposed to other Grands Prix where the anthems are played first.
After his consecutive two first wins in F1, at Spa and Monza, Charles Leclerc and his family were invited by Prince Albert to Monaco's royal palace on Wednesday. As a massive F1 fan and a big supporter of the Ferrari charger, who became the first driver hailing from sunny Monte-Carlo to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix, Prince Albert naturally took much pride in spending a few hours with the Monegasque and his family to talk about his recent exploits. Alongside Charles were his mother Pascale, his uncle Thierry and his spouse, and brothers Lorenzo and Arthur. "It is always a pleasure to see him again, even more so after these two great victories," said the Prince. "To hear the Monégasque anthem on the podium is quite extraordinary!"
The practice session for Monaco overlaps with that for the Indianapolis 500, and the races themselves sometimes clash. As the two races take place on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean and form part of different championships, it is difficult for one driver to compete effectively in both during his career. Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso are the only active drivers to have won two of the three events.
Juan Pablo Montoya took his one & only Monaco Grand Prix victory for BMW in 2003.
Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán born September 20th, 1975), is a Colombian racing driver. He currently competes in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driving for Acura Team Penske, having won the championship in 2019. He won the International F3000 championship in 1998, the CART FedEx Championship Series in 1999 in his debut year in the series, and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2019. His race wins include the Indianapolis 500 (2000,2015), Grand Prix of Monaco (2003), 24 Hours of Daytona (2007,2008,2013), British Grand Prix (2005), Italian Grand Prix (2001, 2005), Grand Prix of Long Beach (1999), and the Race of Champions (2017). Montoya is, alongside Fernando Alonso, one of only two active drivers who have won two legs of the Triple Crown of Motorsport in its original definition. Montoya also equals Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney by winning races in Indy cars, Formula One cars and NASCAR Cup cars. In October 2009, Montoya was ranked 30th on Times Online's list of the Top 50 Formula One drivers of all time.
Fernando Alonso Díaz
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Fernando Alonso got into karting at age 3, at 15 he was a World Champion.
Fernando Alonso Díaz born 29th July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 2005 and 2006 for the Renault team. He is often regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport. Away from Formula One, he is a champion of the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship and a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018 and 2019 with Toyota. Alonso also won the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona for Wayne Taylor Racing. Born in Oviedo, Asturias to a working-class family, he began go-karting at the age of three and achieved success in local, national and world championships. Alonso later progressed to car racing, winning the Euro Open by Nissan in 1999 and was fourth in the International Formula 3000 Championships of 2000.
24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 was won by Sebastian Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Fernando Alonso.
He debuted in Formula One with Minardi in 2001 before joining Renault as a test driver for 2002. Promoted to a race seat in 2003, Alonso won two drivers' championships in 2005 and 2006 from Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher, respectively. After a third-place finish with McLaren in 2007, he returned to Renault from 2008 to 2009 and won two races in the former year to place fifth overall. Alonso then drove for Ferrari from 2010 to 2014. He finished runner-up to Sebastian Vettel three times in tightly-contested title duels in 2010 and 2012 and again in 2013. A second stint with McLaren from 2015 to 2018 did not result in further success due to an uncompetitive car. Overall Alonso won 32 Formula One races, 22 pole positions and 1.899 points from 311 starts. he was the first Spanish Formula One Driver to win the World Championship and was the youngest one-time and two-time drivers' champion at the time of his successes.
Alonso also held the records of the youngest pole position sitter and race winner. He won the 2001 Race of Champions Nations Cup with the rally driver Jesus Puras and the motorcyclist Ruben Xaus for Team Spain and twice entered the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 and 2019. Alonso's achievements have won him the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, the Premios Nacionales del Deporte Sportsman of the Year Award and the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit and has twice been inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame. He runs an eSports and junior racing team and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
OVIEDO, SPAIN - OCTOBER 21: Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso receives from Crown Prince Felipe of Spain an Award for sports during Prince Of Asturias Awards Ceremony on October 21, 2005 at Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)
In awarding its first Gold medal for motorsport to Prince Rainier III, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) characterised the Monaco Grand Prix as contributing "an exceptional location of glamour and prestige" to motorsport. The Grand Prix has been run under the patronage of three generations of Monaco's royal family. Louis II, Rainier III and Albert II, all of whom have taken a close interest in the race. A large part of the principality's income comes from tourists attracted by the warm climate and the famous casino, but it is also a tax haven and is home to many millionaires, including several Formula One drivers.
Prince Rainier III
Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31st May 1923 – 6th April 2005) was the Prine of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs in European History. Though internationally known for his marriage to American actress Grace Kelly, he was also responsible for reforms to Monaco's constitution and for expanding the principality's economy from its traditional casino gambling base to its current tax haven role. Gambling accounts for only approximately three per cent of the nation's annual revenue today; when Rainier ascended the throne in 1949, it accounted for more than 95 per cent.
Grace Kelly, an epitome of beauty, reinvented her life from a high-class Hollywood actress to becoming Her Serene Highness, the Princess of Monaco, in 1956. She was bestowed with the royal title on her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco at the age of 26; the prince was 32 at the time.
Prince Rainier III of Monaco meets American film star Grace Kelly (the later Princess Grace) for the first time in front of the lion cage at the private zoo in the palace gardens. Monaco 1955.
Rainier was born at Prince Palace in Monaco, the only son of Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois, and her husband, Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois. Rainier was the first native-born prince since Honore IV in 1958. Rainier's mother was the only child of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and Marie Juliette Louvet: she was legitimised through formal adoption and subsequently named heir presumptive to the throne of Monaco. Rainier's father was a half-French, half-Mexican who adopted his wife's dynasty, Grimaldi, upon marriage and was made a Prince of Monaco by marriage by Prince Louis, his father-in-law. Rainier had one sibling, Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy. Rainier's early education was conducted in England, at the prestigious public schools of Summerfields in St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, and later at Stowe, in Buckinghamshire. After England, Rainier attended the Institut Le Rosey in Rolle and Gstaad, Switzerland from 1939, before continuing to the University of Montpellier in France, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1943, and finally to the Institut detudes politiques de Paris in Paris.
In 1944, upon his 21st birthday, Rainier's mother renounced her right to the Monegasque throne and Rainier became Prince Louis's direct heir. In World War II Rainier joined the Free French Army in September 1944, and serving under General de Monsabert as a second lieutenant, and seeing action during the German counter-offensive in Alsace. He received the French Croix de Guerre with bronze star (representing a brigade level citation) and was given the rank of Chevalier in the French Legion of Honor in 1947. Following his decommission from the French Army, he was promoted by the French government as a captain in April 1949 and a colonel in December 1954.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Rainier had a ten-year relationship with the French film actress Gisele Pascal, whom he had met while a student at Montpellier University, and the couple lived at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Rainier's sister, Princess Antoinette, wishing her own son to ascend the throne, spread rumours that Pascal was infertile. The rumours combined with a snobbery over Pascal's family origins ultimately ended the relationship. Rainier became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco on the death of Louis II on 9 May 1949.
Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
Film actress Gisele Pascal
After ascending the throne, Rainier worked assiduously to recoup Monaco's lustre, which had become tarnished through neglect (especially financial) and scandal (his mother, Princess Charlotte, took a noted jewel thief known as René the Cane as her lover). According to numerous obituaries, the prince was faced upon his ascension with a treasury that was practically empty. The small nation's traditional gambling clientele, largely European aristocrats, found themselves with reduced funds after World War II. Other gambling centres had opened to compete with Monaco, many of them successfully. To compensate for this loss of income, Rainier decided to promote Monaco as a tax haven, commercial center, real-estate development opportunity, and international tourist attraction. The early years of his reign saw the overweening involvement of the Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, who took control of the Societe des Bains MER (SBM) and envisioned Monaco as solely a gambling resort. Prince Rainier regained control of SBM in 1964, effectively ensuring that his vision of Monaco would be implemented. In addition, the Societe Monegasque de Banques et de Metaux Precieux, a bank which held a significant amount of Monaco's capital, was bankrupted by its investments in a media company in 1955, leading to the resignation of Monaco's cabinet.
As Prince of Monaco, Rainier was also responsible for the principality's new constitution in 1962 which significantly reduced the power of the sovereign. (He suspended the previous constitution in 1959, saying that it "has hindered the administrative and political life of the country.") The changes ended autocratic rule, placing power with the prince and a National Council of eighteen elected members. At the time of his death, he was the world's second longest-serving living head of state (Independent), just below the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyade). After a year-long courtship described as containing "a good deal of rational appraisal on both sides" (The Times, 7 April 2005, page 59), Prince Rainier married Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly (1929–1982) in 1956. The ceremonies in Monaco were on 18th April 1956 (civil) and 19 April 1956 (religious). Their children are:
Princess Caroline, born 23 January 1957 and now the Princess of Hanover;
Prince Albert II, born 14 March 1958, inherited the throne of Monaco;
Princess Stephanie, born 1 February 1965.
The last interview with Grace Kelly - on ABC's 20/20 (Part 2 of 6)
The last interview with Grace Kelly - on ABC's 20/20 (Part 2 of 6)
Princess Ira von Furstenberg
In 1979, Prince Rainier made his acting debut alongside his wife Grace in a 33-minute independent film called Rearranged, produced in Monaco. According to co-star Edward Meeks, after premiering it in Monaco, Grace showed it to ABC TV executives in New York in 1982, who expressed interest if extra scenes were shot to make it an hour long. However, Grace died in a car crash caused by a stroke in 1982, making it impossible to expand the film for American release.
Rainier then may have been romantically involved with his second cousin, Princess Ira von Furstenberg, a former actress turned jewellery designer, who is also a Fiat heiress and the former sister-in-law of fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.
Princess Ira, like him, is a great-grandchild of Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, the Scottish-German wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco. though by Lady Mary's second marriage.
After Grace's death, Rainier refused to remarry.
Images Below are of Princess Ira von Furstenberg
Rainier established a postal museum in 1950: the Museum of Stamps and Coins, in Monaco's Fontvielle district by using the collections of the Monegasque princes Albert I and Louis II. The prestigious philatelic collectors club Club de Monte-Carlo de l'Élite de la Philatélie was established under his patronage in 1999; the club has its headquarters at the museum, with its membership restricted to institutions and one hundred prestigious collectors. Rainier organized exhibitions of rare and exceptional postage stamps and letters with the club's members. Throughout his reign, Rainier surveyed all the process of creation of Monaco stamps. He liked stamps printed in intaglio and the art engravers Henri Cheffer and Czeslaw Siania.
The Museum, of contemporary design, houses rare stamps depicting the Principality’s postal history, as well as all the documents which have been used in the stamp-printing process from the first Charles III stamp in 1885 to the present day.
The Museum of Philately and Coinage is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm (6 pm in July and August). It sells currently available stamps and coins issued by the Principality.
Rainier's car collection was opened to the public as the Monaco Top Cars Collection in Fontvielle.
Garage Goals #8: The Prince of Monaco's 100+ Car Collection
Garage Goals #8: The Prince of Monaco's 100+ Car Collection
Located on the Terrasses de Fontvieille, the exhibition spans 5 000 m2 and is unique in the world, bringing together around a hundred-odd different cars, from a 1903 DE DION BOUTON to the 2013 LOTUS F1 via HISPANO SUIZA, ROLLS ROYCE, LINCOLN, FACEL VEGA, DELAGE, DELAHAYE, PACKARD, HUMBER, NAPIER, FERRARI, MASERATI, LAMBORGHINI, ALFA ROMEO, the LEXUS used for the royal wedding in 2011, and without forgetting the racing cars seen at the Monte Carlo Rally and the Formula 1s from the Monaco Grand Prix.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Opening hours
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Open 7 days a week, from 10 AM to 5:30 PM (closed 25th of december).
Exceptional closure : 26th and 27th of November 2019 - 1st and 2nd of December 2019.
How to get there
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Coach or car : recommended parking at the "Parking de Fontvieille" ; direct access to the Terrasses de Fontvieille by lift and escalator.
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Bus n° 5 and 6 - stop to the Centre Commercial Fontvieille
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5 minutes walk from the railway station and 20 minutes walk from Casino Square.
For further information
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Monaco Top Cars Collection
Les Terrasses de Fontvieille MC 98000 MONACO
Phone: +377 92 05 28 56 -- Fax: +377 92 05 96 09 -- Email: mtcc@mtcc.mc
ADMISSION COST
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Adults: 8 euros
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Children (6-16 years old): 4 euros
Prince Rainier smoked 60 cigarettes a day. In the last years of his life his health progressively declined. He underwent surgery in late 1999 and 2000, and was hospitalized in November 2002 for a chest infection. He spent three weeks in hospital in January 2004 for what was described as general fatigue. In February 2004, he was hospitalised with a coronary lesion and a damaged blood vessel. In October he was again in hospital with a lung infection. In November of that year, Prince Albert appeared on CNN's Larry King Live and told Larry King that his father was fine, though he was suffering from bronchitis.
Behind The Scenes: Prince Albert Marries Charlene Wittstock - Royal Wedding | FashionTV - FTV
Prince Albert Marries Charlene Wittstock - Royal Wedding 2011 - Religious Ceremony | FashionTV - FTV
On 7 March 2005, he was again hospitalised with a lung infection. Rainier was moved to the hospital's intensive care unit on 22 March. One day later, on 23 March, it was announced he was on a ventilator, suffering from renal and heart failure. On 26 March, the palace reported that despite intensive ongoing efforts to improve the prince's health, he was continuing to deteriorate; however, the following day, he was reported to be conscious, his heart and kidney conditions having stabilised. His prognosis remained "very reserved".
On 31 March 2005, following consultation with the Crown Council of Monaco, the Palais Princier announced that Rainier's son, Hereditary Prince Albert, would take over the duties of his father as regent since Rainier was no longer able to exercise his royal functions. On 1 April 2005, the Palace announced that Rainier's doctors believe his chances of recovery were "slim". On 6th April, Prince Rainier died at the Cardiothoracic Centre of Monaco at 6:35 am local time at the age of 81. He was succeeded by his only son, who became Prince Albert II. He was buried on 15 April 2005 beside his wife, Princess Grace, at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate. the traditional burial place of princes and princesses of Monaco, and the place where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had been married in 1956.
Because his death occurred shortly after that of Pope John Paul II, Rainier's death was overshadowed in the media.[